A schoolboy who helped fellow pupils to safety seconds before their bus turned into giant fireball sat his final GCSE exam shortly afterwards.

Jack Laidlaw, 16, has been riding the 3042 from Middleton in Teesdale to Barnard Castle for five years, and Tuesday was his last day as a pupil at Teesdale School.

He and his friends raised the alarm after smoke started coming from the back of the bus as they made their way along the B6278.

The driver stopped and the older boys helped younger pupils, including Jack’s 14-year-old sister, Abby, get off.

But in less than a minute the bus burst into flames and students watched in horror as their school bus melted.Jack LaidlawJack Laidlaw (Image: Contributor)

Jack said: “When we saw the smoke we called for the driver to stop and told the others to move to the front of the bus.

“We kept it on the down low as we were getting off so people were keeping calm as we were doing it.

“But a minute after we got off it went up in flames. It was scary.”

 Jack said the bus, from Hodgson's Coach Operators, would regularly break down but was never replaced.

A fire service investigation is underway into the cause of the fire, which was so severe parts of the bus melted.

The bus was charred wreck after the fire on Tuesday The bus was charred wreck after the fire on Tuesday (Image: Sarah Caldecott) Jack said: “This was the first bus I ever got on. It used to break down a lot but they never seemed to give us a new bus.”

As soon as Jack and other GCSE students got to school they were instructed to sit their design technology exam.

Jack said: “The school made us sit the exam. They did not give us a ten-minute break or the chance to refresh our memory.

“I did the revision before going to school but during the exam I had a headache all the way through so it has had an impact.

“I think I did ok but I know I would have done better if they bus had not set on fire.

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“It could have impacted my grades because I might not pass now.”

Jack is hoping he will get the grates to study business at Darlington College in September.

He added: “It was an eventful last day. Definitely one I will remember.”

The school is part of the North East Learning Trust.

A spokesman said: "We have completed a special circumstances request, although we aren’t able to say what the outcome will be as it’s decided by the relevant examination board."